The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

  

Mercy Divine is the daughter of a pastor, always pressured to "be good" because everyone is watching her. When Daniel moves back to town looking and acting like a bad boy, she just can't stay away.

He'd grown up next door, been her brother's best friend, and yet there's some mystery about the night he left. Her brother, Jude, was found nearly dead, Daniel was somehow involved, and no one will tell her what happened. Mercy promises her brother that she'll stay away from Daniel, but some promises are meant to be broken.

I loved the characters, the romance, and the paranormal aspect that kept me guessing. It was one that I couldn’t put down (at least not willingly :).  I don't see what the cover had to do with the story, but otherwise...great book!

2010 Debut Author Challenge

The Story Siren is hosting the 2010 Debut Author Challenge.
Here's the deal, you sign up there, read at least 12 books from debuting authors this year, link your reviews on her site, and you can win prizes, as well as have the joy of reading more books :)

This is my to-read list, so far:
1. Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore
2. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
3. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting (March 16)
4. Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken (March 23)
5. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins (March 2)
6. The Line by Teri Hall (March 4)
7. Wish by Alexandra Bullen (Jan. 1)
8. Party by Tom Leveen (April 27th)
9. Iron King by Julie Kagawa (Feb. 1)
10. Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson (July 1)
11. The Emerald Talisman by Brenda Pandos (March 24)
12. The Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy (April 13)
13. Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg (Jan.)
14. Mistwood by Leah Cypress (April 27)
15. Forget-Her-Nots by Amy Brecount-White (March 2)
16. A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker (Feb. 4)
17. Hearts at Stake by Alexandra Harvey (Jan.)

I put the release dates in parenthesis for me so I could keep track of them.

Best of luck!

Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore

Nimira lives in a world that seems a lot like Victorian England. She comes there after her mother dies thinking that she will be a respected dancer like her mother had been. She finds life is not what she expected until Hollin Parry comes to the theater one night. He offers her a job singing with an automaton.

His previous singers have all quit saying that something just wasn't right about the automaton. Nimira refuses to be frightened away, and learns that the automaton is not what he appears. He might just be the heir to the fairy throne.
Nimira struggles to learn who to trust, and who to love.

Overall, I give the book 4.5 stars. It pulled me in right away. At only 240 pages it was a short read, and it's set up to be a trilogy at least. My only complaints are that I wish Jaclyn Dolamore had made it a longer book and just finished it instead of leaving me in suspense. I also thought a prologue would have been nice to get background for the human vs. fairy war that had occured before our story took place.